Review of Anne Rice's Latest Book

Anne Rice, of supernatural thriller fame, has written an imaginative story about the boyhood experiences of Jesus Christ. This work is entitled, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. While Ms. Rice makes no attempt to label her story anything other than fiction, she has put an incredible amount of research into that historical period, years actually, making her story painlessly educational as well as entertaining.

The story begins with a seven year old Jesus living with his extended family in Alexandria, Egypt. After a series of incidents, Joseph feels compelled to return with his family to Israel. As the family returns to their homeland, they are frequently in danger because of the uprisings and unrest in the area. Nevertheless, they reestablish themselves in Nazareth and make a living there. During the passage of these few years, Jesus is coming to terms with who He really is.

On the one hand, there were several very Catholic theological assumptions over which I could not help but to raise a very Protestant eyebrow. But my Catholic friends would be right at home with the assumptions, and I appreciated seeing some of these points illustrated in such a way that they seem more reasonable to me now.

On the other hand, she got hold of some of the Apocrypha. I don't want to spoil the story at all, but the gospel of John makes it clear that the first miracle was at the wedding in Cana of Galilee after his baptism by John the Baptist. Also, Jesus said that he always did the will of the Father. I'll leave it at that.

In her author's notes, however, she acknowledges that these additions are apocryphal and that she used them because she was enamored with these stories that were popular even through the Middle Ages. Basically, they're just fun.

If you pick up this story, be sure to read the author's notes at the end. Her personal journey is worth reading about as is her explanation of her research. I think the Easter season is a great time to dive into this tale, if you have the time.